Construction of ships, tanks, and the like



A. M. BOURKE.

CONSTRUCTION OF S P TANKS, AND THE LIKE;

APPLICATION 0 0m. 4. 1920.

' 1 89mm 3, PatentedSept. 6,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Even gar C/zi'amzvzder- 672.30%2 1529 A. M. BOURKE. CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS, TANKS, AND THE LIKE."

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4.1920. 1 .8

@913 PabentedSept, 6,1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, AMBER MORRISON BOURKE, 01E LONDON, ENGL i GPNS'JL'EUCTION 01F SHIPS, TANKS AND THE E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, T921.

Application filed. October a, 1920. Serial No. 414,644.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXAXDER MORRISON BOURKE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 4041 105 Bank Chambers, Southam ton Buildings, Holborn, London TV. C., ngland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Construction of Ships, Tanks, and the like, (for which I have filed applications in England, June 4:, 1919, Patent No. 141,229, and Jan. 19, 1920, Patent No. 160,615,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of ships, tanks, and the like, and the advantages I seek to obtain thereby comprise the following:greatly reduced employment of costly scaffolding, staging and moldings and a consequent reduction in the cost of production, that all the components may be prepared in the shops in readiness to assemble direct in theirfinal positions, the entire structure when finished being practically integral, great strengthis thereby obtained.

T will now describe a preferred embodiment of the improvements comprising my present invention with the aid of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings throughout which like reference letters denote like parts and which drawings are deemed to form part of this specification and are to be read therewith. as descriptive only.

Referring to the said diagrammatic drawings Figure 1 is a sectional plan of the out water or of the stern post showing the method of attaching the plating thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of one rib showing the junction of plates thereto, Fig. 3 shows the longitudinal seams of the plating. Fig. 4c is a longitudinal elevation of a ship, a portion of the starboard side being broken away to show the ribs and plating of the port side in position.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a ship showing sundry starboard ribs in position with one of the outside plates in course of bein slid down into its final position above the Tnlge. Fig. 6 is a perspective plan of a portion of the ships side showing plates in position and the method of fixing the beams, the ribs being omitted for clearer demonstration.

Fig. 7 is a midship section of ship showing one complete rib. Fig. 8 shows a method of joining the component lengths of a rib. Fig.

9 shows an alternative method of joining the component lengths of a rib. Fig. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the keel showing the rib in position. Fig. 11 shows the method of forming a double skin. Fig. 12 shows a method of joining up skin plates g by pressure and Fig. 13 shows the said joint after the application of pressure.

Now the generic idea of my present invention consists in hooking or dovetailing together all the component members, the following description referring to the construction of a ship, although it obviously applles to the construction of other structures.

All the mai components such as the keel, keelson, stem and stern posts, ribs, and plating having been bent, molded, or otherwise formed or prepared'in the workshops, according to the lines of the ship shown in the working drawings, and then numbered, are brought to the slip. The stem (cutwater) stern post and ribs, are erected upon the keel the plates and beams are then lowered or slid where practicable into their final positions. The structure is welded by thermit or other suitable processes at all joints, such welding bein efiected as convenient during the as semb y of the components.

The plating or plates a are bent inwardly at their ends thus forming hook I) which hooks engage corresponding recesses in the stem or stern posts 0 as shown in Fig. 1.

The ribs 03 are likewise bent inwardly on each side thus forming hooks e which are engaged by the hooks b of the plates a as shown in Fig. 2. In order to form a rigid junction between the longitudinal edges of the plates at the said plates are provided with V-shaped projections or edges which engage ll-shaped ooves formed in the edges of the butting p ates. These edges in course of assembling may be kept slightly apart by the insertion upon either side of the junction of a small distance piece suitable for absorption in or during the welding process. The beams which may be of any suitable section and construction according to requirements are provided with suitable ends which are furnished with dove tail jaws h of suitable dimensions for sliding down over and gripping the ribs d as shown in Fig. 6.

At certain stages in the process of assembling the components, hydraulic stays or rams may with advantage be employed to form or to preserve the correct lines of the structure.

It has been found in practice that certain ribs, especially those which at certain portions are curved, for example to form the from the keelson to bilge of theship, are preferably built up in convenient lengths as the component parts of the ship are assembled. Thus the rib the bilge may be practically straight and therefore the floor skin plates are easily slid thereon into position, but the next length of rib which carries the bilge skin plates is curved, the bilge skin plates being similarly curved so that they' may be slid in or hooked upon such curved length ofrib after the bent length of the rib d has been joined either as illustrated in Fig. 8 where the joint is formed by a cover plate (1, the junction is efl'ected by means of a step joint-or in any other suitable manner. The ribs d which carry recessed transversel in thekeel d as shown in Figs. 7 and 10. The keel may be solid or of plate bent to any suitable cross section.

' The keelson d is ap lied longitudinally over the outer and resting upon t a double skin as e keel (i and also the flat portion of the ribs d' which are let in flush with the up er surface of the keeld but the ribs may be attached to the keel in .any other suitable manner.

the vessel or tank requires depicted in Fig. 11. In this case theouter skin plates a are hooked on to the ribs J as already described but the inner. skin is formed by skin plates Z provided with bent edges Z which butt against surface of the hooked portions 6' of the rigs (1. As an alternative method of forming the inner skin, I employ inner skin plates m as shown also in Fig. 11 such skin plates being provided with bifurcated edges 1?. which engage the outer angular surfaces In some cases of the ribs d it being understood that all joints are welded as the erection of the vessel proceeds.

An alternative method of forming vertical joints which are also eminentlysuitable for tanks, pipes and like constructions, especially where such joints are straight, is shown in section in Fig. 12. In this casethe skin plates a are provided with hook shaped edges 6 which hook into the interior of the hook shaped edges 6 of the rib d. A T

shaped member 0 having a bifurcated stem 1;

base of the rib d is preferably angular in cross section. The joint issubjected to presor as illustrated in Fig. 9 wherethe floor" skin plates are Claims.

1. In a sheet metal structure for ships, the combination of stem and stern posts having inclined recesses formed therein, plates having hook-shaped ends, one end of each end plate of the structure being adapted .to engage an inclined recess of one of said posts, and ribs having hook-shaped ends for engaging the adjacent hook-shaped ends of intermediate plates whereby said posts, plates and ribs may be readily formed into a unitary structure by sliding said inclined ends and recess into interlocking engagement.

2. In a sheet metal structure for ships the combination of stem and stern posts having inclined recesses formed therein, plates having hook-shaped ends, of the structure being adapted to engage an inclined recess of one of said posts, said plates being formed with a groove and the next adjacent plate having a projection adapted to fit in said groove, and ribs having hook-shaped ends for engaging the adjacent hook-shaped ends of intermediate plates whereby said posts, plates and ribs may be readily formed into a unitary structure.

3. In a sheet metal structure the combina tion of superposed plates having hookshaped ends adapted to be placed in juxtaposition, a rib provided with hook-shaped one end of each plate I ends forengaging the hook-shaped ends of plates having inclined ends adapted to beinserted between adjacent ribs and .engage -the inclined ends thereof.

5. In a sheet metal structure, the combi-- nation of plates having inclined ends adapted to be disposed in juxtaposition, a T- shaped member having a bifurcated stem inserted between said plates'and engaging one side of the inclined ends thereof, and a rib having hook shaped ends for engaging 'the other side .of said inclined ends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of subscribing witness.

, ALEXANDER MORRISON BOURKE. Witness:

CHARLES Snrrmus BEBTI IONF 

